Hot peppers bring emergency crews to Zeeland plant

Monday

Dec 16, 2013 at 5:02 PMDec 16, 2013 at 5:02 PM

By Jim.Hayden@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4274

When employees at Ventura Manufacturing in Zeeland talk about spicing up their work day, the really mean it.The Zeeland Fire Department was called to the semi-automated manufacturing company at 471 E. Roosevelt Ave. about 1:15 this afternoon after some workers were having sore eyes and difficult breathing.Turned out the cause was not a toxic chemical or natural gas but residue from hot peppers.Firefighters searched the facility but couldn’t find the source of the irritant, according to Fire Chief Bill Gruppen. Firefighters looked for the cause of the problem while American Medical Response ambulance crews assisted the workers.“It turned out there was this semi truck,” Gruppen said, that all the watery-eyed employees had been near.Firefighters called the truck line and discovered the trailer was earlier used to haul hot peppers before being brought to the Zeeland facility. The driver had swept out the trailer, spreading around the spicy scent.It was a first for Gruppen and his firefighters, who have dealt with natural gas leaks and other chemical spills linked to the area manufacturers, but never a pepper problem.No one was seriously injured and no one was hospitalized, he said.The truck was going to be washed, he added.Ventura Manufacturing started in 1997 and was the first satellite company focused on providing services to Innotec, which is involved in furniture manufacturing, according to the company website. Ventura has expanded to customers outside Innotec.A message was left at the company but has not yet been returned.— Follow Jim Hayden on Twitter@SentinelJim.